At Boston College’s Lynch School of Education and Human Development (LSEHD, students sit in classrooms and learn the skills needed to someday lead classrooms of their own.
In Washington D.C., top-down budget cuts and changes are quickly changing what the road ahead looks like for these teachers-to-be.
“There’s a prevailing narrative that education is just standing at a chalkboard and conveying basic skills to kids,” said Maia Hahn-Du Pont, LSEHD ’26. “As education majors, we know that it’s so much more than that, and the [Department of Education] being dismantled is just going to perpetuate inequities that are already present in our society.”
On March 20, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the Department of Education (DE). If the plan is passed by an act of Congress, programs for special education, civil rights, and federal funding for low-income students and loan forgiveness all stand to be impacted.
As LSEHD students prepare for careers in education, they are also preparing for how these changes could affect their careers and the students they aim to serve.
“An Extra Gut Kick”
For LSEHD students like Anastasia Redmond, LSEHD ’25, the executive order was troubling but not surprising.
“It is an extra gut kick,” Redmond said. “Because teachers—you’re not always treated very well in the profession. Everyone knows teachers are overworked, underpaid. It gets harder and harder to be a teacher because kids are getting harder and harder to deal with.”
Despite planning on teaching in the near future, Redmond expressed doubt that teaching could be her profession in the long-term.
“It’s just an extra thing on top of all the other things that make teaching really, really hard, and I don’t know if I’ll be able to put up with it for a career like I’d like to,” Redmond said. “I can see myself doing it for a few years, and then if things get worse and worse, then it’s not worth it at a certain point. That’s why a lot of teachers are quitting, especially right now.”
While Emmurliana Joseph, LSEHD ’26, still sees teaching as her calling, she expressed concern for classmates hoping to teach outside of Massachusetts.
“I guess I’m not only worried for myself, but I’m also kind of worried about my fellow classmates who are going to go home to different states,” Joseph said. “There’s a chance that teachers are going to be taking on a higher load than we already do because of this change, especially since we live in a country where, in a lot of states, teachers are burnt out.”
Eavan Flood, LSEHD ’26, said the lack of funding and resources for classrooms is a major concern for her as well.
“There’s not a lot of attention paid to how much teachers are being paid, or the resources that are being given to them because they kind of fall at the bottom of the food chain, for lack of a better word,” Flood said.
In light of these issues, Flood expressed uncertainty about her future as a teacher.
Unequal Impacts of Funding Cuts
As the education landscape continues to rapidly evolve, Josephine Fields, LSEHD ’26, believes it is the responsibility of all current and future educators to stay informed about changes in their field.
“I feel like the reason why I’ve been so interested in these changes is because the proposed changes are going to threaten our most vulnerable students,” Fields said. “Low-income students, students with disabilities, and students of color are going to be disproportionately impacted by all of the changes that are going on.”
Flood emphasized how cuts could affect Title I schools, which receive DE funding to lower-income populations.
“Schools like [Brighton High School], which is close to BC … would fall under Title I funding because of the population that they serve,” Flood said. “If they were to start defunding the [DE], schools like that would take a hit.”
Flood noted that students would also feel the effects of DE funding cuts outside of the classrooms—extracurricular offerings and support services could be reduced.
“We’re gonna have to cut the college counseling, cut the social workers—kids still suffer from that, even if it’s not their actual educational element of school,” Flood said. “That’s taking resources away from them that would help them in the future or just help them in their current family situation.”
Carpini expressed concerns that students on Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), which provide personalized support for students with disabilities, will suffer if funding is cut.
“A lot of the kids that are on IEPs … are still in the general education classroom,” Carpini said. “If we don’t have the funding for that, those people will go away, the support will go away, and they won’t be able to succeed as well.”
Carrie Schmid, LSEHD ’26, added that the potential changes proposed by the DE will not only affect efforts to ensure equal treatment for marginalized students, but also place additional strain on educators.
“We’re taught a lot about justice and making sure people get equal access to education, and that’s kind of right now where I’m at,” Schmid said. “I think if funding gets cut, and if the [DE] goes away, people with disabilities or lower income students aren’t going to get the equal support that they deserve, and I think it will be harder as an educator to make sure that students have equality.”
Charlotte Quick, LSEHD ’26, echoed Hoover’s sentiment that the political climate may impact students’ social lives at school.
“At an early age in elementary school, kids are very easily influenced if they’re hearing that they’re not welcome, or their backgrounds aren’t being heard in school,” Quick said. “I think they’re kind of going to carry that through the rest of their schooling—past the current administration, definitely.”
While changes to the DE may disproportionately impact marginalized students, Hahn-Du Pont said everyone should be concerned.
“Often, there’s a sentiment that if something doesn’t impact you, it doesn’t matter,” Hahn-Du Pont said. “But just because you might not be a student receiving a Pell Grant, or financial aid, or benefiting from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter.”
Quick added that despite the changes to diversity, equity, and inclusion policies and potential budget cuts, she feels the Lynch School effectively prepares its students to become skilled educators.
“I think I’ve been hearing a lot of teachers have been transferred to areas they’re not strong in with the teacher shortages,” Quick said. “I think, generally, the curriculum and some of the ideas of inclusion and diversity are trying to be pushed out, which is definitely alarming, but I think as a teacher, we need to know we need to be rigid in what we’ve learned at the Lynch School and continue to implement those into our classroom.”
Lynch Students Express Concerns
Even before Trump’s recent executive order, the curricula and policies of schools were a topic of political contention—a trend that Mackenzie Hoover, LSEHD ’26, described as harmful to students.
“I think it’s important to remember that this political climate is also affecting students too, not just the overall system [or] structure of education,” Hoover said. “Schools aren’t just a place to teach students math but also an environment [where] students can feel safe and have their curiosity fostered.”
Joseph said she found it troubling that the DE’s existence is even being called into question.
“The fact that it’s a conversation—it’s concerning,” Joseph said. “I feel like teaching has been so enmeshed with politics recently.”
Jessica Delli Carpini, LSEHD ’25, also expressed concerns about the lack of funding and support for students, pointing out that even in Massachusetts, where funding for public schools is among the highest in the country, she has seen students go without the help they need.
“By cutting this funding, you are kind of keeping [students] from being the people that they want to be, and people that they’re going to develop into,” Carpini said. “I think education is a tool that we can use to kind of propel them forward, but when you’re taking the funding back, it really is detrimental to their futures.”
Hahn-Du Pont said she thinks there are also many misconceptions about how the DE operates.
“I think a lot of people think that the states should have more influence, but they already do have a lot of influence in terms of curriculum and standardized testing—all of that is determined by the states,” Hahn-Du Pont said.
“I Still Want To Be a Teacher”
Even with all the challenges and uncertainty, LSEHD students are still set on becoming educators.
“I still want to be a teacher,” Flood said. “That’s where my passion is.”
Carpini echoed Flood’s sentiment.
“I’m definitely still gonna go through with it and teach, but I’m a little nervous about how much responsibility is going to be on me, and the lack of support,” Carpini said.
Quick added that her determination to become a teacher is as strong as ever, as students may need even more support following DE changes.
“I’ve never really dwindled from wanting to be a teacher,” Quick said. “I think it’s going to be more competitive if there’s job shortages, definitely, which is a little scary, but at the end of the day, I think kids need us now more than ever, so that definitely is a motivator for why I want to continue doing what I’m doing.”
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